Best Cities To Retire

At least every week there is an article saying that Austin has the best job prospects, is the best place for recent college grads, best place for people who are retiring, etc. Right now there is an article on the Yahoo main page saying that Austin is one of the best places to buy a home right now.

Why is Yahoo focusing on Austin?! We don’t want people moving to Austin. We like it the way it is, if people start moving to Austin then it’ll lose its small city feeling. It just won’t be the same. So why Yahoo? WHY?!

Yahoo is not trying to make Austin look the best or trying to constantly focus on it. it just happens to be one of the best places to live at the moment. People are tired of living in cities that lack the jobs and other opportunities, culture, and lifestyle offered in cities like Austin, so a lot of people today are on the look out to find a new city.
Yahoo is just catering to what people are searching for-

I do agree with you that Austin is changing way to fast, some of the change i find to be really great like added diversity and its cool new skyline, but it has began to lost some of its old feel that used to make Austin different. Even with more people coming in, I still think Austin will keep its tradition of being that different kind of city.

i would like to one day retire in europe but do not know what city would be best on a fixed income?

As previously mentioned EU countries do not issue retirement visas.

i’m thinking which city to retire in.

All of them are great cities for different reasons. All have good medical facilities, universities. What is important to you?

San Francisco is small, dense and compact and has easy access to the ocean, mountains and the country. Cost of living is highest here. S.F. is #1 tourist spot for Europeans. The population is divided equally between ethnic groups, Asian, Latino and anglo.

Seattle is a big city with all that San Francisco has to offer plus rain and snow and a much larger bay. Good coffee. 3 hours from Vancouver B.C.

Portland is the cheapest since there is no sales tax and real estate values are lower. Oregon people are earthy and more honest than California and the population is very low. Very clean physical environment, very progressive. Slower pace than California. Portland is 1 1/2 hrs from the ocean.

… for Filipinos? I’ve never been to Vigan but I understand that the streets are quaint and retrospective of colonial period. What about the health care facility, crime, etc.?

What about Tagaytay?

Where is the best retirement place in Luzon in your opinion?

Vigan is an old colonial city and it’s good for someone who doesn’s like to be expose in hectic life. Myself would retire there but i still have to complete my required years job to be able to. My husband got an early retirement as he’s more privilege being able to work at his early years of age, but he doesn’t want to go ahead without me.
Yes we will retire in Vigan. People are quite but of course they are ilocanos but that’s not a problem they can speak the national language and i quite understand ilokano though unable to speak.
Whereas Tagaytay is quite expensive for living if you are not native even for the filipinos, if you want to pretend being chic like most filipinos then it’s the right place. Tagaytay impose exaggerations about their high level standard mainly on prices, they consider themselves as the miami of the Philippines or the Costa brava of Spain, and La Riviera of the Mediterranean France.
They have nothing to compare to these places but they believe so, however, dreams is nice to those who sleeps but not to those wide awake, reality when strikes is as bittter as the virgin olives.
I heard that Vigan like everywhere in the Philippines has a good health care center, in any case if something goes wrong Baguio is not far, unlike Manila that takes 8 hours by bus though you can take the plane, if you have to.

should be within 30-60 minutes of a major city; Time to leave the US b4 the daily stress and Bshit kills me….

Palawan, near Puerto Princesa…

i am retired, have steady income.. i want to live near trails, natural beauty, little crime.. would prefer to be near the ocean… best cities, with descriptions???

Your best options are not cities at all, but towns and communities in unincorporated areas.

You will need to be clearer about being "near the ocean" – that puts you on the Olympic Peninsula only. If you are willing to consider areas near Puget Sound or the Straits of Juan de Fuca, that will open up a lot of options – you’d still have water views.

But being in those areas means you’d be further away from services – shopping, medical etc.

My suggestions to look at – all on Puget Sound, not ocean-front but water-front:
Bellingham (north of Seattle, not far from the US/Canada border) College town. Services are easier to obtain but you are still close to Mt. Baker national forest, Chuckanut drive trails etc.

Whidbey Island – Oak harbor has some services, but the nearest mall would be a ferry ride or 30+ minute drive away. Deception State Pass is nearby, as are national historic areas with hiking trails.

Port Townsend – lovely little town on the Olympic peninsula. Vibrant downtown area, lots of activities surrounding music festivals, wooden boat festivals etc. Not close to anything else.

Anacortes – on Fidalgo island north of Whidbey Island. More of a town atmosphere, easy access to the San Juan Islands, Deception Pass State Park.

I am five years from retiring and have decided that Colorado Springs will be my final destination. I have never been there, but will visit in October. I am in need of relocation information including what is the best area of the city. I prefer quiet country settings where I do not see any neighbors, but also access to the city within 30 minutes. Any suggestions?

There aren’t necessarily "bad" neighborhoods in Colorado Springs, just different. Ages of homes range from over 100 years to brand new. On the north end of town (above Woodmen Rd), you’ll generally find newer homes, in school district 20 which is very well regarded. The east side of town (east of Powers Blvd.) is generally newer, the neighborhoods are packed in tighter, but has great accessibility to shops and restaurants.

Pine Creek is very nice, but more expensive than other neighborhoods surrounding it. It also has a very strict homeowners association which many of my friends find borderline offensive.

School District 20 is the way to go. District 11 is the largest, but is having many funding problems currently and District 49 (in the east area of town) is not as well regarded.

Good luck in your move! It’s a beautiful place to live.

Will have 23 years , enlisted. Where is a good place to retire at in Texas? Looking at job’s , military friendly cities, neighborhood’s. Looking at Dallas, Mesquite areas.

I live around Dallas and rather close to Mesquite. Great city and most folks around here appreciate military. Lots of jobs in the area though I don’t know what you are looking for. A potential concern would be health care. We have a VA, but it’s not one of the "better" VAs. The traffic here can be a nightmare, so that is also a potential concern. Property in Dallas is much more expensive than the surrounding suburbs, so you may need to consider that also. Dallas public schools are crap but since you are retired that’s probably not be an issue.

I spend 5 years in San Antonio. Great thing about that area is you have better access to health care than the Dallas area. In San Antonio, you can get health care at BAMC at Ft. Sam Houston, or the Audie Murphy VA (one of the best VAs I’ve been to), or Lackland AFB. Also, lots of retirees in that area. Again, San Antonio is a very veteran-friendly city. I get the sense that San Antonio has alot of illegals, so if you have stong opinions about that then it may be something to consider.

Cheap, nice, safe… these are some essentials… friendly would be up there too…

So many Americans and Canadians retire in Mexico, Panama and Ecuador… but are they safe?

What about Nicaragua? I hear it’s maybe the safest country in Latin America, and a nice place to live (but not the capital city Managua) – is this right?

What about Asian countries? Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia… or someplace else?

Are there any nice, clean places in India, or maybe not?

Hi AJ,

I spent a few months in Nicaragua, Panama, and Ecuador among other countries last year. All of these countries are safe, beautiful, and have a lot to offer. All of these countries are also very inexpensive.

Yes, Nicaragua (except Managua) is the safest country in Latin America. One drawback in my mind is that the healthcare system in Nicaragua is not good. Outside of Managua you will not find any hospitals that are up to Western standard. In Panama and Ecuador, however, good healthcare is available in the major cities.

Also, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines are good countries to retire.

And here’s one of my favorite, regardless of what everybody else thinks, and that is Colombia. I spent a couple of months in Colombia last year and will go back this August for about 6 months time. Colombia is a very beautiful country, has different climate zones (something for everybody’s taste), has the friendliest people in South America, and if you like women, Colombia also has some of the most beautiful women in the world.
Even though you hear bad things about Colombia what safety is concerned, most stories are pretty old, and Colombia has become a relative safe country.

Before you decide where you want to retire you need to spend at least a few weeks in several countries to narrow it down to maybe 2 or 3.

Have a great time.

I live near downtown Orlando (I am 53 and my husband is 60); our parents (in their mid-70s to early 80s) live in suburban communities about 15 miles north of downtown Orlando. The theme parks (Disney, SeaWorld, Universal) are near enough to drive to for the day; but all of our neighborhoods are far away from the tourist areas with the traffic and hotels. There are dozens of parks, freshwater springs, lakes, and rivers near by. Lots of good places to shop. Excellent doctors and hospitals (plus a new VA hospital will open here next year). Tons of recreational activities.

Florida is a huge state; and you don’t give any clues about what you enjoy doing. Do you want to live near the beach? Near a large city, small town, rural area? Do you like to fish, fresh or saltwater? Do you want to live in a retirement community or in a neighborhood with all ages? Do you want a temperate climate, sub-tropical climate, or tropical climate? Do you want to be near a VA hospital? Do you want to live on the water (fresh or salt)? A few more details would make it easier to answer your question.

Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

Near the beach in a tropical climate: Southwest Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico; Bonita Springs, Lee County

Gulf coast of Florida, sub-tropical climate: New Port Richey, Pass a Grille, St. Pete, Dunedin

East coast of Florida (Atlantic Ocean): Palm Coast (short drive to St.Augustine), Cocoa Beach (barrier island), Cocoa (mainland, on the river), Satellite Beach, Melbourne, Vero Beach.

Central inland; near springs and forests and many parks and preserves: Ocala, Dunellon, Crystal River, Homosassa, Mount Dora, northeast Orlando and Orange County, Oviedo, Gainesville

There are dozens of more great spots; it all depends on what is important to you.